Data Storage Library with Interior Access Regulation

ABSTRACT

A data storage library system includes at least one data storage library comprising at least one library frame and at least one environmental conditioning unit, the at least one environmental conditioning unit configured to control one or more environmental conditions within the at least one library frame. The system further includes at least one access door for providing access to an interior portion of the data storage library, a library controller, and at least one warning indicator associated with the data storage library and in electronic communication with the library controller. The at least one warning indicator is configured to provide an indication to an operator when the conditions within the data storage library are such that the at least one access door may be opened and when the conditions within the data storage library are such that the access door should not be opened.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent document is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/460,397, filed Mar. 16, 2017. Thedisclosure of the priority application is fully incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a data storage library for the storageand transfer of data, and more specifically, to a data storage libraryhaving one or more library frames comprising at least one environmentalcondition sensor disposed internally therein, as well as at least oneenvironmental condition sensor disposed externally thereon. Theinformation received from the environmental condition sensors may beused to determine whether or not an access door to the one or morelibrary frames may be safely opened for access to the interior of thelibrary frame(s).

Automated data storage libraries are known for providing cost effectivestorage and retrieval of large quantities of data. The data in automateddata storage libraries is typically stored on media of data storagecartridges that are, in turn, stored at storage slots or the like insidethe library in a fashion that renders the media, and its resident data,accessible for physical retrieval. Such data storage cartridges arecommonly termed “removable media.” Data storage cartridge media maycomprise any type of media on which data may be stored and which mayserve as removable media, including but not limited to magnetic media(such as magnetic tape or disks), optical media (such as optical tape ordisks), electronic media (such as PROM, EEPROM, flash PROM,COMPACTFLASH™, SMARTMEDIA™, MEMORY STICK™, etc.), or other suitablemedia. An example of a data storage cartridge that is widely employed inautomated data storage libraries for mass data storage is a magnetictape cartridge.

In addition to data storage media, automated data storage librariestypically comprise data storage drives that store data to, and/orretrieve data from, the data storage cartridge media. Further, automateddata storage libraries typically comprise I/O stations at which datastorage cartridges are supplied or added to, or removed from, thelibrary. The transport of data storage cartridges between data storageslots, data storage drives, and I/O stations is typically accomplishedby one or more robotic accessors. Such accessors have grippers forphysically retrieving the selected data storage cartridges from thestorage slots within the automated data storage library and transportingsuch cartridges to the data storage drives by moving, for example, inthe horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) directions.

In an effort to increase storage capacity, deep slot technology allowsfor storage cells that contain more than a single data storagecartridge. Such storage libraries allow for higher density, or morecartridges stored per square foot. In “deep slot” libraries, two or morecartridges may be stored in a multi-cartridge deep slot cell, arrayed inseries, one behind the other, in tiers ranging from a front-most tier toa rearmost tier.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a data storage librarysystem comprising at least one data storage library is disclosed. A datastorage library system includes at least one data storage library, theat least one data storage library comprising at least one library frameand at least one environmental conditioning unit associated with thedata storage library, the at least one environmental conditioning unitconfigured to control one or more environmental conditions within the atleast one library frame. The system further includes at least one accessdoor for providing access to an interior portion of the data storagelibrary, a library controller, and at least one warning indicatorassociated with the data storage library and in electronic communicationwith the library controller. The at least one warning indicator isconfigured to provide an indication to an operator when conditionswithin the data storage library are such that the at least one accessdoor may be opened and when the conditions within the data storagelibrary are such that the access door should not be opened.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a data storage librarysystem is disclosed. The system includes at least one data storagelibrary, the at least one data storage library comprising at least onelibrary frame, at least one environmental conditioning unit associatedwith the data storage library and configured to control at least oneenvironmental condition within the one or more library frames. Thesystem also includes at least one access door for providing access to aninterior portion of at least one library frame, a library controller,and at least one lock associated with the at least one access door andin electronic communication with the library controller. The at leastone lock is configured to provide selective access to the interiorportion of at least one library frame based at least partially on atleast one environmental condition within at least one library frame.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofcontrolling access to an interior portion of a data storage library isdisclosed. The method comprises providing a data storage library havingat least one library frame, providing at least one environmentalconditioning unit configured to control at least one environmentalcondition within the at least one library frame, and providing at leastone warning indicator on an external portion of the at least one libraryframe. The method further includes detecting at least one environmentalcondition within the at least one library frame and at least one ambientenvironmental condition outside of the at least one library frames,determining if a differential between the at least one environmentalcondition within the at least one library frame and the at least oneambient environmental condition outside of the at least one libraryframe is within a desired range. If the differential is greater than thedesired range, the method includes performing at least one of the groupconsisting of (1) turning on the at least one warning indicator, (2) notpermitting access to the interior of the at least one library frame, and(3) combinations thereof. If the differential is less than or equal tothe desired range, the method includes performing at least one of thegroup consisting of (1) turning off the at least one warning indicator,(2) permitting access to the interior of the at least one library frame,and (3) combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of an automated datastorage library.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of another embodiment of an automated datastorage library

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage frame from the data storagelibrary of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an automated datastorage library.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a controller configuration accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a data storagedrive.

FIG. 5B is a rear perspective view of the data storage drive of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is perspective view of one embodiment of a data storage cartridgehaving a cutaway portion.

FIGS. 7A-7B are perspective views of one embodiment of a multi-cartridgedeep slot cell.

FIGS. 8A-8D are partial side views of one embodiment of a cartridgeblocking mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a tiered data storage system, in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partial side view of one embodiment of a system for storingmagnetic recording media.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a storage framefrom a data storage library.

FIG. 12 is an internal view of the storage frame of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for determiningwhether an access door of an automated data storage library may beopened.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method for determiningwhether an access door of an automated data storage library may beopened

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the present disclosure and is not meant to limitthe inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular featuresdescribed herein can be used in combination with other describedfeatures in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be giventheir broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied fromthe specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in theart and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless otherwise specified.

Efforts to improve the performance of traditional data centers attemptto minimize the cost of processing and storing data. One option that isemployed to reduce operational costs of datacenters is to run theequipment in the datacenter at the high end of its environmentaloperational limits, thereby allowing for cooling of the datacenter to bereduced. In other words, datacenters are running increasingly hot andmore humid conditions than traditional datacenters in an attempt toreduce operating costs. Although this strategy may be effective whenapplied to disk and/or flash data storage environments, magnetic tape ismore susceptible to degradation when exposed to these unfavorableconditions. Therefore, this option is not available for magnetic datastorage libraries.

In an effort to control the environment within magnetic data storagelibraries so as to provide suitable working conditions for magnetic tapemedia, data storage drives, etc., air conditioning units may beincorporated into the data storage libraries themselves. While these airconditioning units effectively control the temperature and humiditywithin the data storage libraries, the environmental conditions of thearea surrounding the data storage libraries remain largely unchanged,with conditions often being higher in both temperature and humidity.While this may allow a datacenter to operate at reduced costs, it mayalso result in a marked temperature differential between the interiorand exterior environments of the data storage libraries. Such atemperature differential may prove problematic during service of thedata storage library and/or replacement of data storage librarycomponents such as data storage cartridges, data storage drives, etc.,as condensation may develop on replacement cartridges and other serviceparts during installation and/or removal from the data storage library.Condensation accumulation on such sensitive componentry may causecomponent failure and/or data loss.

FIGS. 1A & 1B and FIG. 2 illustrate an automated data storage library 10which stores and retrieves data storage cartridges, containing datastorage media (not shown), from multi-cartridge deep slot storage cells100 and single cartridge storage slots 16. An example of an automateddata storage library which has a similar configuration as that depictedin FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, and may be implemented with some of the variousapproaches herein is the IBM 3584 UltraScalable Tape Library.

The library 10 of FIG. 1A comprises a left hand service bay 13, one ormore storage frames 11, and right hand service bay 14. The library 10 ofFIG. 1B comprises a left handed service bay 13, one or more storageframes 11, a right handed service bay 14 and optional environmentalconditioning units 1012 which may control the temperature, humidityand/or other environmental conditions in the interior of the library 10.While two environmental conditioning units are shown in FIG. 1B, it willbe appreciated that more or less environmental conditioning units 1012,may be associated with the library, and in circumstances the library mayhave no environmental conditioning units. As will be discussed infurther detail below, a frame may comprise an expansion component of thelibrary. Thus, storage frames may be added or removed to expand orreduce the size and/or functionality of the library. According todifferent approaches, frames may include additional storage slots, deepstorage slot cells, drives, import/export stations, accessors, operatorpanels, etc. Moreover, an accessor aisle 12 preferably extends betweenthe storage frames and bays of the embodiments in FIGS. 1A & 1B therebyallowing an accessor to move between frames.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a storage frame 11, which mayact as the base frame of the library 10. The storage frame 11illustrated in FIG. 2 may have only a single accessor 18 (i.e., thereare no redundant accessors) and no service bay. However, in otherembodiments, a storage frame may include multiple robotic accessorsand/or service bays.

Looking to FIG. 2, the library 10 is arranged for accessing data storagemedia in response to commands from at least one external host system(not shown). The library 10 includes a plurality of storage slots 16 onfront wall 17 and a plurality of multi-cartridge deep slot cells 100 onrear wall 19, both of which may be used for storing data storagecartridges that may contain data storage media. According to oneapproach, the storage slots 16 are configured to store a single datastorage cartridge, and the multi-cartridge deep slot cells 100 areconfigured to store a plurality of data storage cartridges. In apreferred approach, the interior of the multi-cartridge deep slot cellsmay be arranged so that the plurality of data storage cartridges are insequential order of tiers from front to rear (e.g., see FIG. 7A).

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the storage frame 11 of the library10 also includes at least one data storage drive 15, e.g., for readingand/or writing data with respect to the data storage media in the datastorage cartridges. Additionally, a first accessor 18 may be used totransport data storage cartridges containing data storage media betweenthe plurality of storage slots 16, the multi-cartridge deep slot cells100, and/or the data storage drive(s) 15. According to variousapproaches, the data storage drives 15 may be optical disk drives,magnetic tape drives, or other types of data storage drives that areused to read and/or write data with respect to the data storage media.

The storage frame 11 may optionally include an operator panel (such asoperator panel 23 shown and described in FIG. 3) or other userinterface, such as a web-based interface, which allows a user tointeract with the library 10. The storage frame 11 may also optionallycomprise an upper import/export (I/O) station 24 and/or a lower I/Ostation 25, thereby allowing data storage cartridges to be added (e.g.,inserted) to the library inventory and/or removed from the librarywithout having to open front door 17 or otherwise disrupt libraryoperations. Furthermore, the library 10 may have one or more storageframes 11, each having storage slots 16, preferably accessible by thefirst accessor 18.

As described above, the storage frames 11 may be configured withdifferent components depending upon the intended function. Oneconfiguration of storage frame 11 may comprise storage slots 16 and/ormulti-cartridge deep slot cells 100, data readers or drive(s) 15, and oraccessors 18, and other optional components to store and retrieve datafrom the data storage cartridges. However, in another approach, astorage frame 11 may include storage slots 16 and/or multi-cartridgedeep slot cells 100 and no other components. The first accessor 18 mayhave a gripper assembly 20, e.g., for gripping one or more data storagecartridges, in addition to having a bar code scanner or other readingsystem, such as a cartridge memory reader or similar system mounted onthe gripper assembly 20, to “read” identifying information about thedata storage cartridge.

The service bays may be configured with different components and indifferent configurations depending upon its intended function. Theservice bay is typically another frame of the library 10 and withoutintent on limiting the disclosure generally provides an area to houseand perform service on the robotic accessor without interfering with theoperation of the other library frames. The service bay may include amoveable panel or door to provide access to its interior, and mayfurther include one or more data cartridge storage slots,multi-cartridge deep slot storage cells, data cartridges, accessors,data readers, as well as other components.

FIG. 3 depicts and schematically illustrates an automated data storagelibrary 10, in accordance with one embodiment. As an option, theautomated data storage library 10 may be implemented in conjunction withfeatures from any other embodiment listed herein, such as thosedescribed with reference to the other FIGS. Of course, however, suchautomated data storage library 10 and others presented herein may beused in various applications and/or in permutations which may or may notbe specifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein.Further, the automated data storage library 10 presented herein may beused in any desired environment. Thus FIG. 3 (and the other FIGS.)should be deemed to include any and all possible permutations.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the automated data storage library 10 asdescribed in reference to FIGS. 1A & 1B and FIG. 2, is depictedaccording to one embodiment. According to a preferred approach, thelibrary 10 may employ a controller, e.g., arranged as a distributedsystem of modules with a plurality of processor nodes.

In one approach, the library is controlled, not by a central controller,but rather, by a distributed control system for receiving logicalcommands and converting the commands to physical movements of theaccessor and gripper, and for operating the drives in accordance withthe desired physical movements. The distributed control system may alsoprovide logistical support, such as responding to host requests forelement status, inventory, library status, etc. The specific commands,the conversion of those commands to physical movements of the accessor,gripper, controllers, and other components, and the operation of thedrives may be of a type known to those of skill in the art.

While the automated data storage library 10 has been described asemploying a distributed control system, various other approachesdescribed and/or suggested herein may be implemented in automated datastorage libraries regardless of control configuration, such as, but notlimited to, an automated data storage library having one or more librarycontrollers that are not distributed.

Referring still to FIG. 3, the library 10 may have one or more storageframes 11, a left hand service bay 13 and a right hand service bay 14.The left hand service bay 13 is shown with a first accessor 18, where,as discussed above, the first accessor 18 may include a gripper assembly20 and/or a bar code scanner (e.g., reading system) to “read”identifying information about the data storage cartridges depending onthe desired embodiment. Furthermore, the right hand service bay 14 isshown having a second accessor 28, which includes a gripper assembly 30and may also include a reading system 32 to “read” identifyinginformation about the data storage cartridges.

According to one approach, in the event of a failure or otherunavailability of the first accessor 18, or its gripper assembly 20,etc., the second accessor 28 may perform some or all of the functions ofthe first accessor 18. Thus in different approaches, the two accessors18, 28 may share one or more mechanical paths, they may have completelyindependent mechanical paths, or combinations thereof. In one example,the accessors 18, 28 may have a common horizontal rail with independentvertical rails to travel therealong. Moreover, it should be noted thatthe first and second accessors 18, 28 are described as first and secondfor descriptive purposes only and this description is not meant to limiteither accessor to an association with either the left hand service bay13, or the right hand service bay 14.

In an exemplary embodiment which is in no way intended to limit thedisclosure, the first and second accessors 18, 28 may preferably movetheir grippers in at least two directions, called the horizontal “X”direction and vertical “Y” direction, e.g., to retrieve and grip,deliver and release, load and unload, etc. the data storage cartridgesat the storage slots 16, multi-cartridge deep slot cells 100, datastorage drives 15, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, library 10 receives commands fromone or more host systems 40, 41, 42. The host systems 40, 41, 42, suchas host servers, communicate with the library directly, e.g., on line 80(e.g., path), through one or more control ports (not shown), or throughone or more data storage drives 15 on paths 81, 82. Thus, in differentapproaches, the host systems 40, 41, 42 may provide commands to accessparticular data storage cartridges and move the cartridges, for example,between the storage slots 16, the deep slot cells 100, and the datastorage drives 15. The commands are typically logical commandsidentifying the data storage cartridges or data storage cartridge media,and/or logical locations for accessing the media. Furthermore, it shouldbe noted that the terms “commands” and “work requests” are usedinterchangeably herein to refer to such communications from the hostsystem 40, 41, 42 to the library 10 as are intended to result inaccessing particular data storage media within the library 10 dependingon the desired approach.

According to one embodiment, the library 10 may be controlled by alibrary controller. Moreover, in various approaches, the librarycontroller may include a distributed control system receiving thelogical commands from hosts, determining the required actions, and/orconverting the actions to physical movements of the first and/or secondaccessors 18, 28 and/or gripper assemblies 20, 30. In another approach,the distributed control system may have a plurality of processor nodes,each having one or more computer processors. According to one example ofa distributed control system, a communication processor node 50 may belocated in a storage frame 11. The communication processor node providesa communication link for receiving the host commands, either directly orthrough the drives 15, via at least one external interface, e.g.,coupled to line 80.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the communication processor node 50 mayadditionally provide a line 70 for communicating with the data storagedrives 15, e.g., a communication link. As illustrated, the communicationprocessor node 50 may preferably be located in the storage frame 11,e.g., close to the data storage drives 15. Furthermore, one or moreadditional work processor nodes may be provided to form an exemplarydistributed processor system, which may comprise, e.g., a work processornode 52 located at first accessor 18, and that is coupled to thecommunication processor node 50 via a network 60, 157. According todifferent approaches, each work processor node may respond to receivedcommands that are broadcast thereto from any communication processornode, and the work processor nodes may also direct the operation of theaccessors, e.g., providing move commands. An XY processor node 55 may beprovided and may be located at an XY system of first accessor 18. Asillustrated, the XY processor node 55 is coupled to the network 60, 157,and is responsive to the move commands, operating the XY system toposition the gripper assembly 20.

Also, an operator panel processor node 59 may be provided at theoptional operator panel 23 for providing an interface for communicatingbetween the operator panel and the communication processor node 50, thework processor nodes 52, 252, and the XY processor nodes 55, 255.

A network 60, for example comprising a common bus, is provided, couplingthe various processor nodes. The network may comprise a robust wiringnetwork, such as the commercially available Controller Area Network(CAN) bus system, which is a multi-drop network, having a standardaccess protocol and wiring standards, for example, as defined by CiA,the CAN in Automation Association, Am Weich Selgarten 26, D¬191058Erlangen, Germany. Other networks, such as Ethernet, or a wirelessnetwork system, such as RF or infrared, may be employed in the libraryas is known to those of skill in the art. In addition, multipleindependent networks may also be used to couple the various processornodes.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication processor node 50 is coupledto each of the data storage drives 15 of a storage frame 11, via lines70, and may communicate with the drives 15 and with host systems 40, 41,42. Alternatively, the host systems 40, 41, 42 may be directly coupledto the communication processor node 50, at line 80 (e.g., input) forexample, or to control port devices (not shown) which connect thelibrary to the host system(s) with a library interface similar to thedrive/library interface. As is known to those of skill in the art,various communication arrangements may be employed for communicationwith the hosts and with the data storage drives. In the example of FIG.3, lines 80 and 81 are intended to be Ethernet and a SCSI bus,respectively, e.g., and may serve as host connections. However, path 82comprises an example of a Fibre Channel bus which is a high speed serialdata interface, allowing transmission over greater distances than theSCSI bus systems.

According to some approaches, the data storage drives 15 may be in closeproximity to the communication processor node 50, and may employ a shortdistance communication scheme, such as Ethernet, or a serial connection,such as RS-422. Thus, the data storage drives 15 may be individuallycoupled to the communication processor node 50 by lines 70.Alternatively, the data storage drives 15 may be coupled to thecommunication processor node 50 through one or more networks.

Furthermore, additional storage frames 11 may be provided, whereby eachis preferably coupled to the adjacent storage frame. According tovarious approaches, any of the additional storage frames 11 may includecommunication processor nodes 50, storage slots 16, storage cells 100,data storage drives 15, networks 60, etc.

Moreover, as described above, the automated data storage library 10 maycomprise a plurality of accessors. For example, in addition to firstaccessors 18 in service bay frame 13, a second accessor 28, for example,is shown in a right hand service bay 14 of FIG. 3. The second accessor28 may include a gripper assembly 30 for accessing the data storagemedia, and an XY system 255 for moving the second accessor 28. Thesecond accessor 28 may run on the same horizontal mechanical path as thefirst accessor 18, and/or on an adjacent (e.g., separate) path.Moreover, the illustrative control system additionally includes anextension network 200 which forms a network coupled to network 60 of thestorage frame(s) 11 and to network 157 of left hand service bay 13.

In FIG. 3 and the accompanying description, the first and secondaccessors are associated with the left hand service bay 13 and the righthand service bay 14 respectively. However, this is for illustrativepurposes and there may not be an actual association. Thus, according toanother approach, network 157 may not be associated with the left handservice bay 13 and network 200 may not be associated with the right handservice bay 14. Moreover, depending on the design of the library, it maynot be necessary to have a left hand service bay 13 and/or a right handservice bay 14 at all.

An automated data storage library 10 typically comprises one or morecontrollers to direct the operation of the automated data storagelibrary. Moreover, host computers and data storage drives typicallyinclude similar controllers. A library controller may take manydifferent forms and may comprise, for example, but is not limited to, anembedded system, a distributed control system, a personal computer, aworkstation, etc. The term “library controller” as used herein isintended in its broadest sense as a device that includes at least oneprocessor, and optionally further circuitry and/or logic, forcontrolling and/or providing at least some aspects of libraryoperations.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a typical controller 400 is shown with aprocessor 402, Random Access Memory (RAM) 403, nonvolatile memory 404,device specific circuits 401, and I/O interface 405. Alternatively, theRAM 403 and/or nonvolatile memory 404 may be contained in the processor402 as could the device specific circuits 401 and I/O interface 405. Theprocessor 402 may comprise, for example, an off-the-shelfmicroprocessor, custom processor, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA),Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), discrete logic, etc. TheRAM 403 is typically used to hold variable data, stack data, executableinstructions, etc.

According to various approaches, the nonvolatile memory 404 may compriseany type of nonvolatile memory such as, but not limited to, ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash Programmable ReadOnly Memory (PROM), battery backup RAM, hard disk drives, etc. However,the nonvolatile memory 404 is typically used to hold the executablefirmware and any nonvolatile data. Moreover, the I/O interface 405comprises a communication interface that allows the processor 402 tocommunicate with devices external to the controller. Examples maycomprise, but are not limited to, serial interfaces such as RS-232, USB(Universal Serial Bus) or Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). Thedevice specific circuits 401 provide additional hardware to enable thecontroller 400 to perform unique functions including, but not limitedto, motor control of an accessor cartridge gripper. Moreover, the devicespecific circuits 401 may include electronics that provide, by way ofexample but not limitation, Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control, Analogto Digital Conversion (ADC), Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC), etc. Inaddition, all or part of the device specific circuits 401 may resideoutside the controller 400.

While the automated data storage library 10 is described as employing adistributed control system, the various approaches described and/orsuggested herein may be implemented in various automated data storagelibraries regardless of control configuration, including, but notlimited to, an automated data storage library having one or more librarycontrollers that are not distributed. Moreover, a library controller maycomprise one or more dedicated controllers of a library, depending onthe desired embodiment. For example, there may be a primary controllerand a backup controller. In addition, a library controller may compriseone or more processor nodes of a distributed control system. Accordingto one example, communication processor node 50 (e.g., of FIG. 3) maycomprise the library controller while the other processor nodes (ifpresent) may assist the library controller and/or may provide backup orredundant functionality. In another example, communication processornode 50 and work processor node 52 may work cooperatively to form thelibrary controller while the other processor nodes (if present) mayassist the library controller and/or may provide backup or redundantfunctionality. Still further, all of the processor nodes may comprisethe library controller. According to various approaches described and/orsuggested herein, a library controller may have a single processor orcontroller, or it may include multiple processors or controllers.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate the front 501 and rear 502 views of a datastorage drive 15, according to one embodiment. In the example depictedin FIGS. 5A-5B, the data storage drive 15 comprises a hot-swap drivecanister, which is in no way intended to limit the disclosure or theinvention. In fact, any configuration of data storage drive may be usedwhether or not it includes a hot-swap canister. As discussed above, adata storage drive 15 is used to read and/or write data with respect tothe data storage media, and may additionally communicate with a memorywhich is separate from the media, and is located within the cartridge.Thus, according to one approach, a data storage cartridge having datastorage media may be placed into the data storage drive 15 at opening503.

Furthermore, FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a data storagecartridge 600 with a cartridge memory 610 shown in a cutaway portion ofthe Figure, which is in no way intended to limit the disclosure or theinvention. In fact, any configuration of data storage cartridge may beused whether or not it comprises a cartridge memory. According tovarious approaches, the media of the data storage cartridge may includeany type of media on which data may be stored, including but not limitedto magnetic media, e.g., magnetic tape, disks, etc.; optical media,e.g., optical tape, disks, etc.; electronic media, e.g., PROM, EEPROM,flash PROM, COMPACTFLASH™, SMARTMEDIA™, MEMORY STICK™, etc.; etc., orother suitable media. Moreover, an example of a data storage cartridgethat is widely employed in automated data storage libraries for massdata storage is a magnetic tape cartridge in which the media is magnetictape.

Looking now to FIGS. 7A-7B, a multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 havingbiasing springs 152 is depicted according to one embodiment. As shown inthe illustrative embodiment, the multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100comprises a housing 110 defining an interior space 115. A plurality ofstorage slots 120 is disposed within the housing 110, and may beconfigured for storing a plurality of data storage cartridges 600,depending on the desired approach. Alternatively, the multi-cartridgedeep slot cell 100 may be built into the frame of the automated datastorage library according to one approach.

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate an embodiment of a cartridge blocking mechanism150 having a retaining gate 660 that retains the data storage cartridgesin the multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 according to one embodiment.As illustrated, according to one approach, the retaining gate 660 may beexternally attached to a multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100, relative toa front opening 503 (See FIG. 5A) of the multi-cartridge deep slot cell100, whereby the retaining gate 660 can be activated by an accessor 18,e.g., of an automated data storage library. Moreover, the retaining gate660 allows for positive cartridge retention against the pressure ofbiasing springs (see 152 of FIG. 7A), and ensures that one or more datastorage cartridges do not get pushed out of the multi-cartridge deepslot cell 100 simultaneously, while allowing the biasing springs (shownin FIG. 7A) of the multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 to continuouslypush data storage cartridge(s) to the opening in a multi-cartridge deepslot cell 100. Thus, according to one approach, the accessor 18 may openthe retaining gate 660 to gain access to the data storage cartridge intier 1 and, upon its extraction, the biasing spring 152 moves thecartridge(s) positioned behind the extracted cartridge forward, therebypromoting the cartridge(s) by one tier as will soon become apparent.

The basic working of the retaining gate is that the gate prevents thedata storage cartridge(s) from being pushed out of a multi-cartridgedeep slot cell 100. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8A-8D, a retaininggate 660 may be lifted (See FIG. 8B) by, for example, accessor 18 or bya front storage cartridge 642 for cartridge removal from/insertion intoa multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100. Specifically, retaining gate 660has a pivoting arm 661 mounted on multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 viaa pivoting post (not shown) that may be integral to or connected to amulti-cartridge deep slot cell 100. Retaining gate 660 includes a catch662 whereby a thrust force TF through data storage cartridges 644-642caused by the pushing mechanism biasing springs 152 (shown in FIG. 7Abut not shown in FIG. 8A) of multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 causesretaining gate 660 to stay closed in a retaining position as shown inFIG. 8A. Moreover, the retaining gate 660 is preferably biased such thatit closes in the downward direction over the front opening ofmulti-cartridge deep slot cell 100. This constant biasing may beachieved via gravity as shown in FIG. 8A or by implementing a springforce, e.g., attached to retaining gate 660 (not shown).

For removal of front storage cartridge 642 by accessor 18 frommulti-cartridge deep slot cell 100, retaining gate 660 must be liftedupward to a releasing position whereby catch 662 of retaining gate 660is disengaged from front storage cartridge 642. This can be seen in FIG.8B where accessor 18 interfaces with retaining gate 660 by providing alifting force. Once retaining gate 660 is lifted to the releasingposition and accessor 18 is engaged with storage cartridge 642, accessor18 can pull storage cartridge 642 out of multi-cartridge deep slot cell100 and into accessor 18 without any interference of retaining gate 660as shown in FIG. 8C. In view of storage cartridges 644 and 643 beingstored in multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100, retaining gate 660 mustreturn to its retaining position to prevent storage cartridges 644 and643 from being ejected from multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100 by thethrust force TF of the pushing mechanism (not shown in FIG. 8C). Duringextraction of front storage cartridge 642 through the front opening ofmulti-cartridge deep slot cell 100, the retaining gate 660, which isbiased downward, moves back to the retaining position to engage storagecartridge 643.

Once front storage cartridge 642 is extracted and storage cartridges 643and 644 are retained from being pushed out of multi-cartridge deep slotcell 100, retaining gate 660 has successfully completed its cartridgeretrieval process. In FIG. 8C, retaining gate 660 demonstrates itsability to insert the data storage cartridges into multi-cartridge deepslot cell 100. When accessor 18 begins to insert storage cartridge 642back into multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100, retaining gate 660 islifted to its releasing position to allow storage cartridge 642 throughthe front opening of multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100. Catch 662 ofretaining gate 660 interfaces with a rear portion of storage cartridge642, in particular a beveled surface 663 of catch 662 as shown in FIG.8D, whereby retaining gate 660 is lifted to its releasing position asshown in FIG. 8B due to storage cartridge 642 being pushed inmulti-cartridge deep slot cell 100 by accessor 18. In doing so, storagecartridges 644, 643 are pushed deeper into multi-cartridge deep slotcell 100 by storage cartridge 642 in multi-cartridge deep slot cell 100by accessor 18. Thus, the accessor is able to provide a force greaterthan the thrust force TF antiparallel thereto, to overcome thedirectional biasing of the storage cartridges 644, 643. Upon fullinsertion of the data storage cartridge into multi-cartridge deep slotcell 100, retaining gate 660 moves to its retaining position to engagestorage cartridge 642 as shown in FIG. 8A.

Thus, looking to various embodiments presented herein, access to astorage slot may include the ability to remove a cartridge from astorage slot, the ability to place a cartridge into a storage slot, orcombinations thereof.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the storage slots from top tobottom are considered to be in parallel and comprise the same tier.Moreover, the storage slots from front to back, in a particular row, areconsidered to be in series and comprise sequential tiers.

Referring back to FIGS. 7A-7B, in accordance with one embodiment,storage slots 120 are depicted as being configured for storing aplurality of data storage cartridges 600, and arranged in sequentialorder of tiers 621, 622, 623, 624, 625 from front to rear. It should benoted that the front-most tier 621 is also called “tier 1”, while thenext tier 622 is called “tier 2”, etc., and the last tier 625 is alsocalled the “rearmost” tier. However, referring to FIG. 2, in oneembodiment, the single cartridge storage slots 16 are also termed “tier0”.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3, according to one embodiment, thecontroller of automated data storage library 10 may operate theaccessor(s) 18, 28 to selectively extract, place and/or transport datastorage cartridges with respect to the multi-cartridge deep slot cells100, storage slots 16, tape drives 15, and/or other elements of theautomated data storage library 10. For example, the controller mayfacilitate extracting a cartridge from a multi-cartridge deep slot cell100, transporting the cartridge to a data storage drive 15 and placingthe cartridge in the drive 15. The controller may then facilitateextracting the cartridge from the data storage drive 15, while directingthe accessor to transport the cartridge to a specific multi-cartridgedeep slot cell 100 and place the cartridge therein.

In one embodiment, one or more data storage cartridges may be added intothe library, e.g., at an I/O station 24, 25, whereby the controller ofthe automated data storage library 10 may then control and/or operatethe accessor(s) 18, 28 to transport the cartridge(s) to specificmulti-cartridge deep slot cell(s) 100, and place the cartridge(s)therein. Similarly, the controller may operate the accessor(s) toselectively extract, place and transport data storage cartridges withrespect to the single cartridge storage slots 16, and/or transportinserted or added cartridge(s) to specific single cartridge storageslots 16.

Now referring to FIG. 9, a storage system 900 is shown according to oneembodiment. Note that some of the elements shown in FIG. 9 may beimplemented as hardware and/or software, according to variousembodiments. In some approaches, the storage system 900 may beimplemented in an automated data storage library such as that shown inFIGS. 1-2. In other approaches, an automated data storage library suchas that shown in FIGS. 1-2 may be a tier of the storage system 900.

The storage system 900 may include a storage system manager 912 forcommunicating with a plurality of media on at least one higher storagetier 902 and at least one lower storage tier 906. The higher storagetier(s) 902 preferably may include one or more random access and/ordirect access media 904, such as hard disks in hard disk drives (HDDs),nonvolatile memory (NVM), solid state memory in solid state drives(SSDs), flash memory, SSD arrays, flash memory arrays, etc., and/orothers noted herein or known in the art. The lower storage tier(s) 906may preferably include one or more lower performing storage media 908,including sequential access media such as magnetic tape in tape drivesand/or optical media, slower accessing HDDs, slower accessing SSDs,etc., and/or others noted herein or known in the art. One or moreadditional storage tiers 916 may include any combination of storagememory media as desired by a designer of the system 900. Also, any ofthe higher storage tiers 902 and/or the lower storage tiers 906 mayinclude some combination of storage devices and/or storage media.

The storage system manager 912 may communicate with the storage media904, 908 on the higher storage tier(s) 902 and lower storage tier(s) 906through a network 910, such as a storage area network (SAN), as shown inFIG. 9, or some other suitable network type. The storage system manager912 may also communicate with one or more host systems (not shown)through a host interface 914, which may or may not be a part of thestorage system manager 912. The storage system manager 912 and/or anyother component of the storage system 900 may be implemented in hardwareand/or software, and may make use of a processor (not shown) forexecuting commands of a type known in the art, such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Of course, anyarrangement of a storage system may be used, as will be apparent tothose of skill in the art upon reading the present description.

In more embodiments, the storage system 900 may include any number ofdata storage tiers, and may include the same or different data storagemedia within each storage tier. For example, each data storage tier mayinclude the same type of data storage media, such as HDDs, SSDs,sequential access media (tape in tape drives, optical disk in opticaldisk drives, etc.), direct access media (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), or anycombination of data storage media types. In one such configuration, ahigher storage tier 902, may include a majority of SSD storage media forstoring data in a higher performing storage environment, and remainingstorage tiers, including lower storage tier 906 and additional storagetiers 916 may include any combination of SSDs, HDDs, tape drives, etc.,for storing data in a lower performing storage environment. In this way,more frequently accessed data, data having a higher priority, dataneeding to be accessed more quickly, etc., may be stored to the higherstorage tier 902, while data not having one of these attributes may bestored to the additional storage tiers 916, including lower storage tier906. Of course, one of skill in the art, upon reading the presentdescriptions, may devise many other combinations of storage media typesto implement into different storage schemes, according to theembodiments presented herein.

According to some embodiments, the storage system (such as 900) mayinclude logic configured to receive a request to open a data set, logicconfigured to determine if the requested data set is stored to a lowerstorage tier 906 of a tiered data storage system 900 in multipleassociated portions, logic configured to move each associated portion ofthe requested data set to a higher storage tier 902 of the tiered datastorage system 900, and logic configured to assemble the requested dataset on the higher storage tier 902 of the tiered data storage system 900from the associated portions. Of course, this logic may be implementedas a method on any device and/or system or as a computer programproduct, according to various embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a system 1000 includes a frame 1002 of anautomated data storage library 1004. As described above, automatedlibraries are typically used to store cartridges and drives in largearrays to store large amounts of data. Thus, an interior of frame 1002is illustrated as a tape library in one embodiment, and is depicted asincluding one or more tape drives 1006, an area for storing tapecartridges (e.g., multi-cartridge deep slot cells 1008 and singlecartridge storage slots 1009), and a robotic accessor 1010, among othercomponents which would be apparent to one skilled in the art uponreading the present description (e.g., see FIG. 2 above).

Automated libraries have traditionally operated in environments havingideal temperature and humidity levels within the operationalspecifications of the data storage media and drives. As such, automatedlibraries have previously relied on outside air to flow through thelibrary to keep the drives and data storage media cool as drives heatthe air during the process of normal operation (e.g., such as readingand writing data to data storage media). However, as mentioned above,this limits the number of environments an automated data storage librarycan be implemented in. If the air outside the library is not cool or dryenough, exposing the interior of the library thereto may be harmful tothe data storage media and/or the drives. One type of automated librarywhich may be susceptible to exposure to environmental conditions suchas, for example, heat and/or humidity, are automated tape librariescontaining tape media and tape drives.

In contrast, system 1000 of FIG. 10 further includes an optionalintegrated environmental conditioning unit 1012 coupled to the frame1002. For the purposes of the present disclosure, it is to be understoodthat an environmental conditioning unit may be any device whichconditions the air and/or the surrounding environment and is able tochange the environmental conditions. The environmental conditions mayinclude (but are not limited to) temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.In one embodiment the environmental conditioning unit may be anair-conditioning unit. An environmental conditioning unit in accordancewith the present disclosure may increase or decrease the temperature,humidity, pressure, etc. The environmental conditioning unit 1012 may becoupled to an upper surface 1014 (e.g., the roof) of the frame 1002 asshown in FIGS. 1B and FIG. 10. This allows for the environmentalconditioning unit 1012 to operate without negatively affecting theoperating conditions in the frame 1002. However, an environmentalconditioning unit may be functionally associated with the frame 1002 bypositioning the environmental conditioning unit elsewhere and usingducts to route the air to the interior of the frame 1002, coupling theenvironmental conditioning unit to a side of the frame 1002, couplingthe environmental conditioning unit to a bottom of the frame 1002(underneath the frame 1002), etc., depending on the desired approach.

The environmental conditioning unit 1012 is preferably configured suchthat it may regulate the relative conditions (e.g., temperature,humidity, contaminant presence via filtering, etc.) inside the frame1002. Thus, according to different approaches, the environmentalconditioning unit may be able to reduce an ambient temperature of theinterior of the frame 1002 and/or reduce the relative humidity of theinterior of the frame 1002, depending on the type of environmentalconditioning unit 1012 employed. The environmental conditioning unit1012 is preferably configured to turn on and off as desired to maintaina selected temperature in the interior of the frame 1002. Alternatively,the environmental conditioning unit 1012 may have a fan and the fan canbe left always on to keep air circulating within the interior of theframe. In one embodiment, the environmental conditioning unit 1012 maybe an air conditioning unit and the fan may be continuously on and thecondenser may turn on and off to maintain a selected temperature in theinterior of the frame 1002.

As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the environmentalconditioning unit 1012 may be an air conditioning unit and may be ableto adjust the relative temperature and/or humidity of the interior ofthe frame 1002 in a conventional manner. Cold air may flow into theinterior of the frame 1002 via an inlet air duct 1030 which may connectthe environmental conditioning unit 1012 to the interior of the frame1002, and form an airflow inlet 1035 in the upper surface 1014 of theframe 1002. Specifically, an inlet air duct 1030 may direct the aircooled by the environmental conditioning unit 1012 into the interior ofthe frame 1002, e.g., where the majority of the data storage media maybe stored. As a result, air flow is created from the environmentalconditioning unit 1012 to the interior of the frame 1002, as indicatedby arrows 1024. This air flow may be induced by a fan included in theair conditioning unit 1012 and/or by using the fans in the one or moretape drives 1006, as will be described in further detail below.

Once in the interior of the frame 1002, the air flow may extend past themulti-cartridge deep slot cells 1008 and single cartridge storage slots1009, eventually being carried past and/or through the one or more tapedrives 1006. Thus, the air being cycled through the environmentalconditioning unit transfers heat from interior of the frame 1002 and thetape drives 1006. A baffle or baffles 1026 are preferably configured toisolate hot air produced by (e.g., exiting) the tape drives 1006 fromthe area for storing tape cartridges. In other words, a baffle orbaffles 1026 are preferably configured to create hot and cold airseparation in the interior of the frame 1002. As mentioned above,magnetic tape and other magnetic media degrade when exposed toundesirable (e.g., hot, humid, etc.) conditions. Thus, it is preferredto prevent the heat produced by the tape drives 1006 from returning tothe area for storing tape cartridges.

The air flow is preferably directed through the gaps in the verticalbaffle, allowing the conditioned air to flow through each of the tapedrives 1006. The gaps in the vertical baffle may also be used by therobotic accessor 1010 to provide tape cartridges to the tape drives1006. Moreover, the horizontal baffle 1026 is preferably used to preventair from flowing to the multi-cartridge deep slot cells 1008 once passedthrough the tape drives 1006. The air exiting the tape drives is hot(e.g., at least hotter than when it left the environmental conditioningunit 1012), and may negatively affect exposed magnetic tape. Thus, airexiting the tape drives 1006 is preferably directed back to theenvironmental conditioning unit 1012 to be conditioned (cooled,dehumidified, filtered, etc.) for further use as would be appreciated byone skilled in the art upon reading the present description. Althoughthe air flow is preferably directed from the environmental conditioningunit 1012 to the interior of the frame 1002, and from the interior ofthe frame 1002 back to the environmental conditioning unit 1012, theparticular path that the air flow is shown as extending along in thepresent embodiment by arrows 1024 is in no way intended to limit thedisclosure or the invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 10, system 1000 may include anenclosure 1020 for the environmental conditioning unit 1012. Anadditional fan 1040 may be included in the enclosure 1020 for passingambient air over external components of the environmental conditioningunit 1012 to further promote heating, cooling and/or conditioning of theair. Moreover, the enclosure 1020 may include an opening, a baffle orbaffles, etc. to direct ambient air exterior to the library 1004 towardan inlet 1022 of the environmental conditioning unit 1012.

Any vents, voids, seams, etc. in the frame 1002 of the library 1004,other than airflow inlet 1035 and an outlet 1032 in an upper surface1014 of the frame 1002, are preferably sealed such that air from outsidethe frame 1002 cannot reach the interior thereof. This may effectivelyseal the frame 1002 of the automated data storage library 1004 such thatthe air flow circulating through the environmental conditioning unit1012 is the only air moving into and out of the interior of the frame1002. As a result, tape drives 1006, magnetic tape media stored in thelibrary 1004, etc., or other components in the frame 1002 may beisolated from the environment external of the frame 1002/library 1004and any unfavorable conditions which may be associated therewith. Theframe 1002 may be sealed using any processes which would be apparent toone skilled in the art upon reading the present description, e.g.,including but not limited to inserting foam, implementing insulatingseals, etc. New frames may be built without any vents, voids, seams,etc. The housing and panels enclosing the frame 1002 may also beinsulated to prevent or inhibit unconditioned air from entering theframe 1002.

The frame 1002 may also include one or more environmental sensors 1050exterior to the library 1004 and may also include one or more sensors1055 exterior to the library 1004 but inside the enclosure 1020 for theenvironmental conditioning unit 1012. In one embodiment the sensors 1055may be located in front of inlet 1022 of the environmental conditioningunit 1012. The environmental sensors 1050, 1055 may be any sensorappropriate for determining the environmental conditions at the sensorlocation, such as one or more temperature sensors, one or more humiditysensors, one or more pressure sensors, etc. The one or moreenvironmental sensors 1050, 1055 may be in communication with a librarycontroller, such as library controller 400 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 4. The one or more signals provided by the environmentalsensors 1050, 1055 may be utilized to control the output and operationof the environmental conditioning unit 1012.

System 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10 may further comprise one or moreenvironmental sensors 1028 disposed within the interior of the library1002. The environmental sensor(s) may be any appropriate sensor fordetermining the environmental conditions within the frame 1002, such asone or more temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one ormore pressure sensors, etc. The one or more environmental sensors 1028may be in communication with a library controller, such as controller400 shown and described with respect to FIG. 4. As such, the signalprovided by the one or more environmental sensors 1028 may be utilizedto control the output of the environmental conditioning unit 1012.

Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 includes a single frame1002 and a single environmental conditioning unit 1012, otherembodiments may include additional frames and/or environmentalconditioning units.

While a data storage library having an associated and/or integratedenvironmental conditioning unit advantageously controls theenvironmental conditions within the library, some challenges may existwhen components within such a data storage library need to be servicedor replaced. As noted above, many data centers are now maintained athigher temperatures and higher humidity levels to reduce the costsrelating to cooling the data center. For this reason, environmentalconditions of the data center may be substantially different from thosewithin a data storage library having an associated environmentalconditioning unit. As such, a component (e.g., a data storage drive,data storage cartridge, library control card, etc.) that is movedabruptly from the warm, humid environment outside the data storagelibrary (e.g. the data center) to the cool, dry environment of the datastorage library may develop condensation and/or moisture on surfacesthereof. Additionally, opening an access door to the data storagelibrary may also introduce air from the data center into the conditionedenvironment of the data storage library, potentially causingcondensation formation and/or accumulation on various surfaces withinthe data storage library. Moisture build-up on surfaces of sensitivecomponents such as data storage cartridges and drives for reading datastorage media is undesirable, as moisture may lead to adverse effects,and in extreme situations failure of the components and/or data loss.

Thus, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, one or moreenvironmental condition sensors may be installed within a data storagelibrary, and one or more environmental condition sensors may also beinstalled outside or external to the data storage library, e.g. on ornew external surface of the data storage library. Based on adifferential between the data received from each respectiveenvironmental condition sensor(s), a warning indicator and/or lockmechanism may be utilized to dissuade and/or prevent access to theinterior of the data storage library under certain disparateenvironmental conditions, thereby protecting the sensitive componentswithin the data storage library from undergoing thermal shock, and/orforming or accumulating condensation and moisture build-up.

Referring to FIGS. 11-12, a front perspective view of a storage frame1002 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure is illustrated. Asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 10, frame 1002 comprises one ormore data storage drives, one or more multi-cartridge deep slot storagecells, and at least one accessor, all of which are at least partiallyaccessible via a front door 17 (as similarly shown in FIG. 2). In oneembodiment, the data storage library is a tape library that includes oneor more tape drives, a plurality of tape cartridges, one or moreoptional multi-cartridge deep slot storage cells and at least oneaccessor. Front door 17 may be hinged to a portion of frame 1002 so asto form an access door to the interior of frame 1002, as shown in FIG.12. An enclosure 1020 on the top portion of frame 1002 preferably isconfigured to an environmental conditioning unit, which providesconditioned air to the interior of frame 1002, as described above withrespect to FIGS. 1B and 10. As is also described above with respect toFIG. 10, the environmental conditioning unit on frame 1002 enables theinterior of frame 1002 to be maintained within desired operationalconditions, while the surrounding environmental conditions of the datacenter may be less controlled, if controlled at all, and may be outsidedesired operational conditions. Accordingly, in some instances, theenvironmental conditions within frame 1002 and the environmentalconditions outside of frame 1002 may vary significantly. While the datastorage library system in FIGS. 11-12 is shown as a single storage frame1002, it will be appreciated that the data storage library may includemultiple storage frames, service bays and optional environmentalconditioning units similar to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Similar to frame 11 described above with respect to FIGS. 1-2, frame1002 may also comprise an operator panel (not shown), an upperimport/export (I/O) station 24, and/or a lower I/O station 25. Theoperator panel, such as operator panel 23 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 3, may provide an interface for communicating betweenthe operator panel and a library controller, such as controller 400shown and described with respect to FIG. 4. The operator panel maycomprise a visual display and/or one or more light indicators (e.g.,LEDs) so as to provide the operator with a visual indication ofoperational information of the data storage library. Upper I/O station24 and a lower I/O station 25 may be configured to allow data storagecartridges to be added (e.g., inserted) to the library inventory and/orremoved from the library without having to open front door 17 orotherwise disrupt library operations.

While I/O stations 24, 25 may enable data storage cartridges to be addedto and/or removed from the library without the opening of front door 17,other maintenance procedures may require front door 17 to be opened foroperator access. However, as described above, the opening of front door17 may introduce environmental conditions from the data center into theinterior of the data storage library, potentially forming condensationon sensitive componentry within the data storage library due to thedisparate environmental conditions of the data center and the datastorage library.

As such, aspects of the disclosure comprise a system which provides awarning to the operator that front door 17 should not be opened and/orprevents front door 17 from being opened when environmental conditionswithin the data storage library are too dissimilar (e.g., outside adesired range) to environmental conditions within the data center.

Specifically, frame 1002 may comprise one or more external environmentalsensors 1050, which are configured to sense at least one environmentalcondition within the data center. For example, sensor(s) 1050 may sensethe temperature and/or humidity within the data center. While FIG. 11shows sensor(s) 1050 as being located on a front top portion of anenclosure 1020, it is to be understood that sensor(s) 1050 may belocated on any external surface of frame 1002, and may be located remotefrom an external surface of frame 1002, and/or may be located elsewherewithin the facility where the data storage library is located e.g.,somewhere in the data center.

In addition to external sensor(s) 1050, at least one internalenvironmental sensor 1028 may be located within the interior of frame1002, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12. Internal environmental sensor(s)1028 may be configured to sense at least one environmental conditionwithin the data storage library. For example, sensor(s) 1028 may sensethe temperature and/or humidity within the data storage library. Whilesensor(s) 1028 is shown as being located on a robot accessor withinframe 1002, it is to be understood that sensor(s) 1028 may be located atany location within frame 1002, and multiple sensors 1028 may be locatedat multiple locations within frame 1002, including on the robotaccessor(s), on interior walls, etc.

Both external environmental sensor(s) 1050 and internal environmentalsensor(s) 1028 are configured to be in communication with a librarycontroller, such as controller 400 shown and described with respect toFIG. 4. The library controller may implement an algorithm or use alook-up table, which compares the data received from the externalenvironmental sensor(s) 1050 with the data received from the internalenvironmental sensor(s) 1028. If it is determined via the algorithmand/or look-up table that the external and internal environmentalconditions are too dissimilar (i.e., outside of a desired range and/orpredetermined threshold), which may result in the formation and/oraccumulation of condensation upon sensitive components within the frame1002, the controller may cause a warning indicator to be delivered tothe operator panel, notifying the operator that the front door 17 shouldnot be opened. For example, a warning communication, such as a textwarning, light warning, and/or audible warning may be broadcast via theoperator panel. Alternatively or additionally, a light indicator 1060may be illuminated on frame 1002, with light indicator 1060 providing avisual warning to the operator that the front door 17 should not beopened due to dissimilar external and internal environmental conditions.While light indicator 1060 is shown on a front surface of the enclosure1020, it is to be understood that light indicator 1060 may be located atany external location of frame 1002 and/or enclosure 1020. Furthermore,more than one light indicator 1060 may be utilized, and an audibleindicator may also be utilized. In one embodiment, an illuminated lightindicator 1060 may warn the operator not to open the front door 17,while an unlit light indicator 1060 may alert the operator that thefront door 17 may be opened for access to the interior of frame 1002.However, it is to be understood that an unlit light indicator 1060 mayinstead warn the operator that it would be undesirable to open the frontdoor 17, while an illuminated light indicator 1060 may indicate that thefront door 17 may safely be opened.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a lock may be utilized inaddition to, or in lieu of, the visual and/or audible indicatorsdescribed above. Specifically, referring to FIG. 12, front door 17comprises a male lock portion 1070, while frame 1002 comprises a femalelock portion 1072 configured to interact with male lock portion 1070.One or both of male lock portion 1070 and female lock portion 1072 maybe in electronic communication with the library controller. As detailedabove, the library controller may implement an algorithm and/or alook-up table which compares the data received from the externalenvironmental sensor(s) 1050 with the data received from the internalenvironmental sensor(s) 1028. If it is determined that the external andinternal environmental conditions are outside a desired and/orpredetermined range, which may result in the formation and/oraccumulation of condensation upon sensitive components within the frame1002, the controller may communicate with one or more of male lockportion 1070 and female lock portion 1072 to lock front door 17 in aclosed position, thereby preventing access to the interior of frame1002. Alternatively, if it is determined that the external and internalenvironmental conditions are within a suitable differential range (i.e.,less than or equal to a desired range and/or predetermined threshold),the controller may communicate with one or more of male lock portion1070 and female lock portion 1072 to unlock front door 17, therebyenabling an operator to access the interior of frame 1002. One or bothof male lock portion 1070 and female lock portion 1072 may be moved intoa locked/unlocked position via any appropriate mechanism, such as anelectro-mechanical actuator or a solenoid. Additionally oralternatively, an accessor within the library may be configured to movea latch or other mechanism to ensure that front door 17 islocked/unlocked.

In addition to the locking portions shown and described with respect toFIG. 12, the system may further comprise one or more visual and/oraudible warning indicators, such as those described above with respectto FIG. 11. Further, while the locking portions are described as beingrespective “male” and “female” locking portions, it is to be understoodthat the locking mechanism(s) may be any appropriate lockingmechanism(s), such as magnetic locks, dual hooks, etc.

Next, referring to FIG. 13, a data storage library access process 2000for visually including advisability whether conditions are desirable foraccessing a data storage library in accordance with an aspect of thedisclosure is illustrated. First, at 2002, at least one data storagelibrary frame is provided. At 2004, at least one visual warningindicator is provided on an external surface of the data storage libraryframe. As described above, the at least one visual indicator may be inthe form of a text indicator on an operator panel, a light indicator onany external surface of the frame, etc. At 2006, the environmentalconditions within the data storage frame are determined, while theambient environmental conditions outside of the frame (i.e., the ambientconditions of the data center) are determined at 2008. The environmentalconditions may be determined by any appropriate means, such as by one ormore temperature and/or humidity sensors.

Next, the differential between the interior environmental conditions andthe exterior environmental conditions are determined at 2010. At 2012,if the differential is determined to be greater than a predeterminedthreshold (e.g., outside a desired and/or suitable range), a visualindicator is turned on, warning the operator not to open the door (orpanel) of the frame at step 2014. However, if the differential is lessthan or equal to the predetermined threshold (e.g., within a desiredand/or safe range), the visual indicator is turned off at 2016, andaccess to the interior of the data storage library frame(s) is allowedat 2018.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a data storage library access process 3000which prevents access to the data storage library under undesirableconditions according to another aspect of the disclosure is illustrated.First, at 3002, at least one data storage library frame is provided. At3004, at least one lock is provided at least partially on an access door(or panel) of the at least one data storage library frame. At 3006, theenvironmental conditions within the frame are determined, while theambient environmental conditions outside of the frame (i.e., the ambientconditions of the data center) are determined at 3008. The environmentalconditions may be determined by any appropriate means, such as, e.g., byone or more temperature and/or humidity sensors.

At 3010, the differential between the interior environmental conditionsand the exterior environmental conditions are determined. At 3012, ifthe differential is determined to be greater than a predeterminedthreshold (e.g. outside a desired and/or suitable range), the accessdoor is locked at 3014, thereby preventing operator access to theinterior of the library frame(s). However, if the differential is lessthan or equal to the predetermined threshold (e.g., within a desiredand/or safe range), the access door is unlocked at 3016, and access tothe interior of the data storage library frame(s) is allowed at 3018.

It follows that various embodiments described and/or suggested hereinare able to provide data storage systems, more specifically, automateddata storage libraries having climate control capabilities associatedand/or integrated with the automated data storage library, with at leastone warning indicator and/or locking mechanism for regulating access tothe interior of the data storage library based on internal and externalenvironmental conditions. As a result, favorable conditions (e.g.,temperature, humidity, presence of contaminants, etc.) may be maintainedfor the data storage drives, data storage cartridges, etc., which may bestored in the library frames, while the formation and/or accumulation ofcondensation on the data storage library components may be inhibited,resisted and/or avoided.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Moreover, a system according to various embodiments may include aprocessor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor,the logic being configured to perform one or more of the process stepsrecited herein. By integrated with, what is meant is that the processorhas logic embedded therewith as hardware logic, such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc. By executable by the processor, what is meant is that thelogic is hardware logic; software logic such as firmware, part of anoperating system, part of an application program; etc., or somecombination of hardware and software logic that is accessible by theprocessor and configured to cause the processor to perform somefunctionality upon execution by the processor. Software logic may bestored on local and/or remote memory of any memory type, as known in theart. Any processor known in the art may be used, such as a softwareprocessor module and/or a hardware processor such as an ASIC, a FPGA, acentral processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit (IC), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), etc.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode may include at least one processor, which may be or be part of acontroller, coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through asystem bus, such as controller 400 of FIG. 4. The memory elements caninclude local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, such as nonvolatile memory 404 of FIG. 4, bulk storage, and cachememories which provide temporary storage of at least some program codein order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulkstorage during execution.

It will be clear that the various features of the foregoing systemsand/or methodologies may be combined in any way, creating a plurality ofcombinations from the descriptions presented above.

It will be further appreciated that embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be provided in the form of a service deployed on behalfof a customer to offer service on demand.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data storage library system, the systemcomprising: at least one data storage library, the at least one datastorage library comprising at least one library frame and at least oneenvironmental conditioning unit associated with the data storagelibrary, the at least one environmental conditioning unit configured tocontrol one or more environmental conditions within the at least onelibrary frame; at least one access door for providing access to aninterior portion of the data storage library; a library controller; andat least one warning indicator associated with the data storage libraryand in electronic communication with the library controller, wherein theat least one warning indicator is configured to provide an indication toan operator when conditions within the data storage library are suchthat the at least one access door may be opened and when the conditionswithin the data storage library are such that the access door should notbe opened.
 2. The data storage library system of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one environmental condition sensor at an interiorlocation of the at least one library frame and at least oneenvironmental condition sensor at an exterior location of the at leastone library frame.
 3. The data storage library system of claim 2,wherein the library controller is configured to determine if the one ormore environmental conditions are such that at least one access door maybe opened based on information received from the at least oneenvironmental condition sensor at the interior location of the at leastone library frame and at least one environmental condition sensor at theexterior location of the at least one library frame.
 4. The data storagelibrary of claim 3, wherein the library controller is configured todetermine a differential between at least one environmental condition atthe interior location of the at least one library frame and at least onecorresponding environmental condition at the exterior location of atleast one library frame and, if the differential is greater than adesired range, provide the at least one warning indicator.
 5. The datastorage library system of claim 2, wherein the at least oneenvironmental condition sensor at the interior location and the at leastone environmental condition sensor at the exterior location consist ofat least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, andcombinations thereof.
 6. The data storage library system of claim 1,wherein the at least one warning indicator is a visual indicator.
 7. Thedata storage library system of claim 6, wherein the at least one warningindicator is located on an operator panel of at least one library frame.8. The data storage library system of claim 6, wherein the at least onewarning indicator is a light visible from the exterior of the one ormore library frames.
 9. The data storage library system of claim 1,wherein the at least one warning indicator is an audible indicator. 10.A data storage library system, the system comprising: at least one datastorage library, the at least one data storage library comprising atleast one library frame, at least one environmental conditioning unitassociated with the data storage library and configured to control atleast one environmental condition within the at least one library frame;at least one access door for providing access to an interior portion ofat least one library frame; a library controller; and at least one lockassociated with the at least one access door and in electroniccommunication with the library controller, wherein the at least one lockis configured to provide selective access to the interior portion of atleast one library frame based at least partially on at least oneenvironmental condition within the at least one library frame.
 11. Thedata storage library system of claim 10, wherein at least one portion ofthe lock is located on the at least one access door, and wherein atleast another portion of the lock is located on a portion of the atleast one library frame.
 12. The data storage library system of claim10, further comprising at least one environmental condition sensor at aninterior location of the at least one library frame and at least oneenvironmental condition sensor at an exterior location of the at leastone library frame.
 13. The data storage library system of claim 12,wherein the library controller is configured to determine if the atleast one access door is to be locked by the at least one lock based oninformation received from the at least one environmental conditionsensor at the interior location of the at least one library frame and atleast one environmental condition sensor at the exterior location of theat least one library frame.
 14. The data storage library of claim 13,wherein the library controller is configured to determine a differentialbetween at least one environmental condition at the interior location ofthe at least one library frame and at least one correspondingenvironmental condition at the exterior location of the at least onelibrary frame and, if the differential is greater than a desired range,lock the at least one access door via the lock.
 15. The data storagelibrary system of claim 10, wherein the at least one environmentalcondition sensor at the interior location and the at least oneenvironmental condition sensor at the exterior location consist of atleast one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and combinationsthereof.
 16. A method of controlling access to an interior portion of adata storage library, the method comprising: providing a data storagelibrary having at least one library frame; providing at least oneenvironmental conditioning unit configured to control at least oneenvironmental condition within the at least one library frame; providingat least one warning indicator on an external portion of the at leastone library frame; detecting at least one environmental condition withinthe at least one library frame and at least one ambient environmentalcondition outside of the at least one library frames; determining if adifferential between the at least one environmental condition within theat least one library frame and the at least one ambient environmentalcondition outside of the at least one library frame is within a desiredrange; and if the differential is greater than the desired range,performing at least one of the group consisting of (1) turning on the atleast one warning indicator, (2) not permitting access to the interiorof the at least one library frame, and (3) combinations thereof; and ifthe differential is less than or equal to the desired range, performingat least one of the group consisting of (1) turning off the at least onewarning indicator, (2) permitting access to the interior of the at leastone library frame, and (3) combinations thereof.
 17. The method of claim16, further comprising allowing access to the interior of the at leastone library frame when the differential is determined to be within thedesired range.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising providingat least one environmental condition sensor at an interior location ofthe at least one library frame and providing at least one environmentalcondition sensor at an exterior location of the at least one libraryframe.
 19. The method of claim 16, comprising providing at least onevisual indicator visible from an exterior portion of the at least onelibrary frame.
 20. The method of claim 19, comprising providing at leastone of a light, a text, and combinations thereof on an operator panel.